


Patient You

by firstdegreefangirl



Category: The Resident (TV 2018)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Coda, Conrad's trying to keep from losing Devon, Depression, Devon just lost his best friend, Friends to Lovers, Grief/Mourning, M/M, Recovery, Slow Burn, and also more than that, set after 2x11, someone needs to tell these fools they're in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-12
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-26 18:17:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17751035
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/firstdegreefangirl/pseuds/firstdegreefangirl
Summary: After Bradley dies, Devon struggles with his loss and with blaming himself/Chastain for the death. Conrad catches him halfway through a downward spiral and tries to keep him from falling any further.





	Patient You

**Author's Note:**

> Listen, just ... God bless this show for existing. Easily in my top five favorite shows right now, even if I'm a couple weeks behind. 
> 
> And maybe it's just me, but it seems like every time I look up at Conrad and Devon, they're half a step from something that looks like more than Platonic Friendship.

Nine days. It’s been nine days since they lost Bradley, and even though Devon’s still walking upright, everyone feels like they’re losing him too. He’s at work every day, treating patients and ordering tests, but he’s not hanging out with anyone, and Conrad can tell that he’s getting even less sleep than usual – which is almost impossible for a resident, but here they are.

Conrad’s on his way out of the building one day, planning to stop by the clinic to see if Nic and Mina need help with any patients before he heads home, both in interest of the patients there and his hellbound determination to actually stay friends with his ex. After all, he’s the one who called it off this time, after realizing he and Nic weren’t looking for the same things in their relationship, and that staying together would only make them resent each other in the long run. 

But before he can get out of the building, he has to sidestep quickly to avoid colliding with Devon, who’s trudging wearily across the waiting room.

“Devon, hey, you off man?”

“Yeah, not even on call tonight. Guess I’ll just order a pizza, catch up on TV or something.” He’s looking toward Conrad, but more through him than at him.

“Up for some company? I could go for a pie.” The clinic won’t flounder without him for one night, but Devon just might.

“Sure, if you want.” Devon nods and turns to leave before Conrad can respond. It’s pretty clear he’s not being rude, just that he’s really struggling with things right now. So Conrad follows Devon out to the lot, then in his truck follows Devon home. He gets there, Devon’s left the front door open but he’s sitting on the couch, resting his elbows on his knees and staring blankly into space. Conrad comes in, then closes and locks the door behind him.

“Devon? You want some water?” Devon visibly startles and stares up at Conrad, shaking a strand of hair out of his face.

“I want a drink. But you can have water.” Conrad heads to the kitchen and fills a glass from the tap for himself. He checks the fridge for beer, but there’s none left. Recycle bin is pretty much full of empties, though, and Conrad notices that before he fills another water for Devon.

“So you’re out of beer, but here’s a water. Did you order the pizza?” He’s pretty clearly using kid gloves to talk to Devon.

“Not yet. The app lets me repeat my old orders.” Conrad sits down next to him and squeezes his shoulder.

“Cool. I’m good for whatever.”

“Hawaiian. It’ll be Hawaiian.”

“Devon … OK.” He waits while Devon presses the order into his phone, and notices how his hand shakes a bit. As Devon puts the phone down, he pushes out a heavy sigh and drops his head into his hands. Conrad squeezes his shoulder again and speaks carefully. “Hey, I’m gonna ask you some questions – medical questions, not your personal life – but I need you to be totally honest with me, OK?” Devon nods against his hands. “Good. In the last, oh, seven to 10 days, how many glasses of water have you had a day?”

Devon hesitates before he answers. “Two or three, probably. But I drink coffee and juice at work sometimes.”

“Alright. And how many alcoholic drinks a day?”

“I don’t know.”

“Because there’s no good average or because you’ve had that many?”

“I don’t know!” He’s getting frustrated, and honestly that tells Conrad what he needs to know, so he decides to cut his losses.

“OK, we’ll move on. Have you gotten at least, oh, six hours of sleep a night?” He knows no doctor ever gets his full eight hours, but they can usually manage at least six – but clearly Devon hasn’t been.

“I lay down more than six hours before I get up, if that’s what you’re asking.”

“It’s not. Stop dodging the questions, Dr. Pravesh.” And yeah, that stings a little, when Conrad uses his professional title, driving home that Devon _knows_ he should be doing better at taking care of himself. “How much _sleep_ have you gotten?”

“Not much.”

“Three meals a day?”

“Does leftover pizza count?”

“What would you say if a patient asked you that?” Conrad’s being gentle, but he knows Devon wouldn’t let his patients get away with treating themselves so poorly.

“It does not.”

“And what would you recommend as treatment for Patient You?”

“I’d refer them to a therapist for grief counselling.” He sounds exhausted and resigned.

“So?”

“I can’t do that. With the hours I work? There’s no way I could keep appointments.”

“OK, and if your patient said that?”

“Help them find a support system of friends and family, maybe prescribe some antidepressants if it was real bad.”

“Alright. So who’s your support system?”

“You guys are hurting too.” Devon shifts away from Conrad on the sofa.

“Yeah, we are. But it’s a lot easier when we can _talk_ about it. When we can _talk_ to each other.”

“I can’t talk to Nic or Mina about this. They’re not gonna understand.” Conrad disagrees, but it won’t matter if Devon doesn’t want to open up to them.

“So talk to someone else.”

“Like who?” Devon finally pulls his head up out of his hands and faces Conrad. It’s only then that Conrad can see the tears rolling down his face.

“Hey, off topic, but did I ever tell you how many psych classes I took in college? Almost changed my specialty to behavioral health, but that’s not where the Army needed me. And I really wasn’t fluffy enough for the industry. But not everyone needs fluffy, and I love helping people with their emotional illnesses too.” He smiles and moves his hand down to squeeze Devon’s knee.

“It’s just not _fair_! Bell pushed him into using the Quovadis valve and now he’s _dead_ because of it and nothing’s even going to happen!” Devon doesn’t know why it’s happening, he doesn’t want it to happen, but suddenly he’s crying; big, heaving sobs that wrack his entire body. He tries to turn away from Conrad, but Conrad catches his elbow and turns him back gently.

“Hey, hey, let it out. This is healthy. This is how your body gets the emotions out. And it’s not fair, you’re right. It shouldn’t have happened, not like this, and not for a long time. But it did happen, and maybe there was a reason for it.”

“Like _what_? What reason could there be that Bradley’s _dead_ because he was pushed into using a bad heart valve?”

“Maybe it’ll open an investigation about Quovadis and get their devices off the market. Or at least maybe it’ll make Bell think twice about letting Chastain keep using them. And on another level, things like this tend to bring people together. Everything with Lane? When Lily died, I was crushed. You remember me then. But that’s also a huge part of how Nic and I gave it another try. We were both hurting and it made us closer." 

“Didn’t you guys break up again?”

“That’s not the point, and we’re still friends. Just that our interests are … a little too common for us to be together.”

“What?"

“Don’t worry about it. Not tonight. The pizza should be here soon, and you have yet to drink any of this water.” Conrad waves the glass in front of him, like it should be more tantalizing than it is. Devon eyes it wearily, but he knows that he needs to rehydrate, especially after his crying jag, so he takes it and drinks a couple swallows. “Good. Now, Hawaiian pizza?" 

“Bradley’s favorite. You know that.”

“I do. But I also know that a month ago, you wouldn’t touch it for all the money in the world.”

“Tastes change.”

“But did yours? Or are you just eating it because he liked it?” Before Devon can answer, the doorbell rings. “I’ve got it. Finish that water.”

Conrad pays for the pizza and comes back into the living room, but Devon hasn’t moved. He’s still facing halfway toward where Conrad had been sitting on the couch.

“Devon. Water. Finish it, then we’ll break into the pizza.” Conrad sits down again, placing the box on the coffee table out of Devon’s reach. “C’mon, you’re almost done with it.” He watches while Devon polishes off the last few swallows, then pushes the pizza to the center and opens the box up. “You want the pineapple off mine?”

“It tastes like vacation.” He’s clearly echoing Bradley’s words, not speaking his own.

“Here, you look like you could use one right now.” Conrad picks the offending fruit bits off of his slice and drops them onto Devon’s. “You work tomorrow?”

“I wish. It’s a good distraction.”

“You can’t stay distracted forever.”

“I can try.” He’s talking around a mouthful of pizza now, and Conrad can just barely make out his words. So he pulls out his phone and taps at the screen while Devon chews.

“Nope. You’ve gotta face this. But you don’t have to face it alone, Devon. Wallow in it tonight, but recovering starts tomorrow. I’ll stay here if you want me to, or you can come to mine, or crash solo or whatever, but tomorrow we’re getting you out of this apartment and not going to Chastain.”

“What? Where are we going?”

“Any requests? What we do doesn’t matter, long as we do something.”

“Conrad, you don’t have to—“

“I know. Like I said, we’re all hurting too. A day off will do me some good. After Lily, Nic let me drag her on a 10-mile hike.”

“I can’t go that far.”

“No one is asking you to. We’ll do whatever feels right tomorrow, OK? Now, eat at least one more slice, and I’m refilling your water. Hydration is step one.”

“Conrad …” Devon gives up protesting, but Conrad can’t tell if it’s from resignation or fatigue.

“Who’s sleeping where tonight? I’m good with whatever, tell me what you want.”

“I want … I don’t want to be here. Not another night here alone.”

“You’re not alone. But how about we go over to my place? Spare room is cleared out since Jude left again.”

“Yeah … OK.” Devon takes the glass when Conrad hands it to him and drinks more of the water without being prompted this time.

“Finish this up and go pack a bag. Then tomorrow we’ll figure out something not work-related to do.”

**Author's Note:**

> And thus ends chapter one. I've got a bit more of this planned ahead, and more that I know I want to get to. Not sure when I'll update next around school and such, but I'm having a lot of fun writing this, so hopefully not too long.
> 
> That said, I thrive on validation from others, so definitely leave comments and kudos and suggestions!  
> xoxo


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